Are you interested in employing people through HOPS?

SAWS

SWP

How to host participants under the Schemes

Why recruit from HOPS?

HOPS – Farm Registration 

HOPS Labour Solutions

HOPS is a department of the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs, based at the YFC Centre, Stoneleigh. HOPS is a Home Office appointed Multiple Operator of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme and runs its own programme alongside this called the Seasonal Workers Programme.  

1) Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS)

The SAWS is a scheme that has existed for many years enabling farmers and growers to employ participants from outside of the European Economic Area to work in the UK agriculture industry on a seasonal/temporary basis. The scheme helps to meet the shortfall in the supply of seasonal labour from within the UK.

SAWS participants are students and non–students from Romania & Bulgaria who became EU nationals from 1^st January 2007, but only have the right to UK employment if they have been issued with a work card from a SAWS operator.

The primary motivation of participants joining the scheme is to earn money in an area of work that is relevant to their studies.  The participants have a good reputation for being hard working and flexible with most prepared to work long hours to maximise their earnings.

The SAWS is managed by UK Border Agency (UKBA), part of the Home Office. UKBA contracts with a number of organisations known as Operators to administer the scheme on its behalf.  Operators issue work permits on behalf of the Home Office to eligible SAWS participants to enable them to be legally employed in the UK and obtain UK entry visas. 

1a) SAWS Operators 

There are two types of Operators with which UKBA contracts. These are as follows:

• Multiple Operators - these organisations act on behalf of other farmers and growers only. They do not recruit SAWS participants to meet their own need for seasonal labour.
• Sole Operators - these organisations are very large farmers and growers in their own right. They act on their own behalf only, meeting their own need for seasonal labour.

• Sourcing and recruiting eligible workers to take part in the scheme
• Assessing and monitoring farmers for their ability to provide suitable work placements to SAWS workers
• Ensuring the SAWS workers are treated fairly and within the law
• Ensuring that farmers and growers are provided with people who are suitable to do the work on offer

SAWS Quota

As the scheme is intended to meet the shortfall in the supply of seasonal workers within the UK, the number of people able to participate on the SAWS each year is limited by a quota set by the Home Office.  Each year the quota is reviewed following consultation with key stakeholders, including the Operators, DEFRA and the Department for Work and Pensions. 

The Seasonal Workers Programme has been established by HOPS to enable nationals of the European Union, particularly those of the new EU states (excluding Romania & Bulgaria), to seek employment, usually seasonal, in the agricultural industry.  These participants were eligible to participate in SAWS until the recent EU expansion.  The programme is built on the principles of the SAWS in terms of being marketed especially at students (studying agriculture) who must undertake practical experience working in agriculture as part of their studies and enabling these students to form part of the seasonal labour force of UK farmers and growers.

Farmers and growers will need to meet the same HOPS criteria as those required for the SAWS with the following exceptions.

• The work does not need to be seasonal.

• The work may be for more than 6 months.

The work should be within the broad description of land-based - for example pack house work or polytunnel erection may be acceptable. 

In summary the employment of EU participants is more flexible but they are of course free to move to other employment.

As of 1^st May 2004, workers from the new EU states are required to register with the Home Office under the Workers Registration Scheme to be legally employed.  Further information can be found here

How to host participants under the Schemes

All farms hosting participants under the SAWS and SWP must be registered to HOPS. 

• All participants should have a reasonable expectation of approx. 40 hours work each week for the duration of his or her stay.  
• Have appropriate supervisory arrangements in place to support the participants and ensure their safety.
• Provide adequate on-farm accommodation and facilities that meets any legislative requirements and is suitable and fit for purpose.
  • Workers are not obliged to take up the offer of accommodation.
  • These can be provided in caravan accommodation, converted farm buildings that meet current building regulations or a suitable house or other dwelling on or near the farm/holding.  If available, suitable accommodation can be rented in the vicinity.
  • Accommodation units must include a kitchen that is equipped with appliances and utensils and a plentiful supply of hot and cold water.
  • Accommodation units must include toilets and showers, in suitable quantities for the number of residents, with plentiful supply of hot and cold water.
  • A registered engineer must certify all gas and electricity supply and appliances as safe.
• Offer rates of pay and other conditions, which comply with the current Agricultural Wages Order of the appropriate country and other legislation.
  
  • England & Wales: www.defra.gov.uk/food-farm/farm-manage/wages/
  • Scotland: www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/Rural/business/18107
  • Northern Ireland: www.dardni.gov.uk/index/fisheries-farming-and-food/enforcement-awb.htm
• Have the resources and skills to manage the risks to the Health & Safety of the participants and to maintain a safe working environment – mindful that participants may have little, if any, use of the English language so will need specific arrangements for their health and safety instruction and training.  Businesses are therefore required to have up to date health and safety policy documentation including risk assessments that includes the accommodation.
• Be able to provide social care (welfare) for young overseas nationals resident on the farm. 
• Ensure the Employer Liability Insurance covers all seasonal workers.
• Be committed to equal opportunities.

In addition:-

• If participants are to drive vehicles, it is the responsibility of the employer, not HOPS to be sure that the student is legally eligible to drive specific vehicles under the new age and group restrictions.
• The Employer is responsible for ensuring that the student is competent and safe.  This is best achieved via formal training and certification for the type of vehicle to be driven.  If participants are required to drive vehicles on the highways we strongly recommend that they be given several formal driving lessons in the UK (at no cost to themselves) prior to taking farm owned and insured vehicles on the road.

• HOPS is one of the largest providers of temporary labour to horticulture/agriculture and recruits up to 11,000 participants per year to work on approximately 280 holdings across the whole of the UK employing several hundred HOPS participants.
• HOPS has been a SAWS operator for more than 16 years and is thus very experienced and has built a good reputation within the recruiting countries
• HOPS is committed to working wholly within the regulatory framework of recruitment and employment and aims to work with businesses that have a similar commitment
• All HOPS participants are covered by insurance that includes repatriation in the event of a medical emergency
• HOPS provides a support service to both employers and participants including telephone helpline that is free of charge to employers
• HOPS offers extensive written guidance and advice to help our registered farms achieve the necessary employment and other statutory obligations plus a wide range of other issues.
• HOPS replaces free of charge any participants that leave in the first 4 weeks of their employment, providing that HOPS is notified of their leaving with 7 days of the event.

HOPS – Farm Registration 

Each employer is registered with HOPS for one year only and is invited to re-register if the working relationship with the employer has been successful and the participants are happy with the placement.  Our registration fee to employers is currently (2011) £100 +VAT per year, payable only when we are able to invite an employer to join the register.  We also charge an Introduction Fee to employers, currently £90 +VAT per SAWS participant placed and £80 +VAT per SWP participant placed.

If we are asked to recruit for a full time position with relevant skills required an individual charge structure will be negotiated.

• Be a Romanian or Bulgarian National
• Be aged 18 years or over on the date they wish to start a placement

• Be a National of a country within the European Economic Area (EEA) with the exception of Bulagrian and Romanian Nationals who are administered under the SAWS 
• Be aged 18 years or over on the date they wish to start a placement

The participants of the SWP can work in the UK for an indefinite period of time, however the majority of those applying to the programme are participants wishing to earn money for their studies and therefore are not seeking long term employment.

If, after reading this, you wish to proceed with registration to HOPS, please get in touch with us. Our contact details are here.

HOPS need to make a site visit prior to the arrival of any participants and your registration with HOPS will depend on us being fully satisfied that the accommodation/facilities you have or are planning are suitable and fit for the purpose.  Please do not hesitate to telephone us to discuss this in more detail if you have any queries regarding the type or standard of accommodation expected.  We will also check that you have adequate health & safety management strategies in place.  As stated before, we can give some guidance on this.

Some of the paper work we ask for may at first appear daunting, but it is no more than is required by legislation. HOPS has developed an extensive library of Guidance Notes & has Field Officers who can also give help and advice on how to meet the necessary standards. 

HOPS is a holder of a Gangmaster Licence issued by the Gangmaster Licensing Authority (GLA) and operates wholly within the Licensing Standards.  Additionally HOPS is an active member of the Association of Labour Providers (ALP) with the General Manager acting as the representative of SAWS Operators on the Executive Committee of the association.  

HOPS recommends that any party with an interest in our license visits the GLA website as www.gla.gov.uk and registers an 'active check'. 

More informaiton for the Association of Labour Providers can be found at www.labourproviders.org.uk

Back to top